By Mélanie, on Friday, October 31, 2008

I’ve always regretted not to have a real Halloween. I tried. The first year I paid attention to the event (when I started being interested by the US), I prepared a huge bowl full of candies, and I waited. I waited, and I waited. And nobody came. Well, this is not quite true. A typical little French, showing their rebellion to any Anglo-Saxon tradition, the kids showed up either 3 days before (when I did not have the candies yet) or two days after (when my brother had already eaten everything!).

A few year later, when the word had spread in the neighborhood that we’d give candies for Halloween, I became a little too enthusiastic, and tried to built a gingerbread house. Oh, never again! Not only did it look like it had just undergone an earthquake, but the kids only wanted the candies…

So you see, I kind of forgot about doing special things for Halloween. It’s not like in the US. Can you believe that when I worked there, we even had a party at the office?! Nobody really worked that day, busy with decorating the office for the Halloween contest (the pictures are from the Financial Analysis department). It was unbelievable.But this year, I’m cooking for other people than myself. So of course, I could not resist to having a special Halloween Menu. (Plus, I love having a theme when I’m cooking, it’s much more fun!).

Seriously, you’ve got to try this one. I know it is long (and dangerous for your fingers) to cut the butternut, but it’s worth it. This galette is so good, it’s the 3rd time I make since I read it on Deb’s blog, 3 weeks ago. I’m going to try other fillings, but don’t wait that long! The recipe is here.

Puffy Jack’o’lantern with tomato and cream sauce

Marble Pumpkin and chocolate cupcakes

I love this recipe. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin, but this cake is moist and tender, and the sweetness of the pumpkin is not overwhelming thanks to the cocoa. It’s great for every time of the hour. Plus, it's from Cooking Light.